Solutions for CPG Manufacturers

Vendor Managed Inventory

Market6's DemandView™ Information Services provides the basis for superior Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) solutions. We achieve this by applying daily store-level demand forecasts and Balance-on-Hand (BOH) to forecast distribution center (DC) demand. No other service can provide store-level visibility by illuminatingstore level BOH inventory, anticipated demand and replenishment requirements  with unprecedented accuracy. By providing this forward view of anticipated store orders daily for the following month, or longer, DemandView supplies an unparalleled data source for CPG manufacturers' VMI systems enabling:

• Superior customer service
• Greater return in inventory employed at the DC
• Fresher product for the consumer

Promotion Execution

Promotion Execution enables manufacturers to better plan, monitor and execute trade promotions through an information portal. Our portal enables both category management and supply chain information to be shared with vendors to synchronize planning and align with department objectives.

DemandView helps improve promotions planning by generating a forecast by item, by store and by day for each day of the promotion. The resulting Expected Sales numbers are dramatically more accurate than existing best practices in promotion execution planning.

Promotions are then monitored daily by comparing Actual Sales versus Expected Sales. Differences in these numbers identify stores that are under-executing the promotion. Improving promotion execution can be achieved almost immediately by checking marketing, category management or inventory issues.

Both retailers and manufacturers benefit from:

• More efficient and effective trade promotion budgets
• Better support of consumer promotions
• Better new product introductions
• Greater sales

Shelf Execution

The shelf is the finish line of that last mile—where consumers are either able to purchase your product or not. Shelf Execution enables manufacturers to:

• Prevent out-of-stocks
• Identify distribution voids
• Better monitor new item introductions through an information portal

DemandView anticipates and monitors demand to predict out-of-stock occurrences, identify distribution voids and track new item performance against expectations. With Market6's highly accurate data and real-time alerts, corrective measures can be taken quickly—often before the problem hits the shelf.

Category Management

Market6 takes a collaborative approach to category management goals through a common view—with uncommon detail—of past, present and future information.

Successful category management depends on insights and execution. DemandView uses all facets of supply chain information to make sure the right products are on the shelf at the right time in the right quantity.

Market6 is the only company to foster true retailer-vendor collaboration enabling:

• Store-level, demand-driven planograms
• Assortment rationalization, by identifying items with chronic excess inventory or out-of-stocks
• Optimization of initial and replenishment orders for promotions
• Increased sales from reduced out-of-stocks

CPG Sales Support

CPG companies face a host of challenges. Retailers are demanding better managed inventory and more accountability for order management. Yet forecast errors and inventory levels continue to plague the consumer goods supply chain. CPG companies also contend with:

• Increasing commodity and transportation costs that amplify margin pressure
• Antiquated ordering processes creating sub-optimal procedures that diminish performance

DemandView harnesses and integrates daily demand signals—at the UPC level—to provide CPG companies the data they need to be more successful:

• Advanced warning via alerts to sales-robbing shelf conditions including: excess inventory, chronic out-of-stocks, sales less than expected, unexpected price decrease, planned price not executed, promoted items with low inventory and promoted items with excessive inventory
• Better store ordering that's immune to store personnel turnover
• A synchronized demand-driven supply chain to move product through faster and fresher
• Better warehouse ordering by providing visibility to future store-level demand and inventory and forecasting demand to the warehouse
• Demand-driven space management
• Increased success of new item introductions by monitoring product performance versus expectations

Support for Mobile Computing

The best data in the world can't help if you can't act on it fast. That's why Market6 has distilled its critical item/store/day information into a set of actionable alerts that will work on mobile devices, such as an iPhone or Blackberry. Doing so puts the power of data sharing at your fingertips.